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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
2015 Ram 1500 Rebel
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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
33-in Toyo Open Country A/T‘s work well to grab into any surface.
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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
The Rebel’s interior has some very nice trim and graphics to stand out from the breed.
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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
The best interior feature has to be the Toyo Open Country tread patterns embossed into the seats.
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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
The yellow tube is the trademark of the admired and familiar Bilstein shocks.
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Courtesy of Ram
Rebel With a Cause
The Rebel is at home in the dirt.
Review by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Ram
Ram’s Rebel is an off-roaders dream, but is it a Raptor fighter?
What is the first thing you do when you buy a truck? Chances are, you look at possible off-road modifications before you even get it home. If it is a new truck, you are probably looking at some bigger, more aggressive tires to up the traction levels, a slight suspension lift that will give you a bit more clearance and a little more articulation, and maybe some skid plating to save the chassis.
The manufacturers have noticed this trend, and thankfully they have answers right from the showroom floor. Models like the Raptor, Power Wagon and TRD Pro-Series offer off-roaders an option straight from the factory floor with all warrantees attached. Problem was while Ram offered the very capable Power Wagon in the Heavy Duty trim; they left the 1500 fairly sterile.
Fear not fellow adventurers, Ram have heard your calls and the new 1500 Rebel is their answer. We were on hand at last years North American International Auto Show when Ram pulled the wraps off this off-road special edition, and for exactly a year, we’ve been foaming at the mouth to get into one of these, editor Irons in particular. Finally, we’ve had our chance, and lets say it was worth the wait.
Lets start with the oily bits. No special factory power adders here, our tester came equipped with the well known 5.7L HEMI V-8 that shovels out 395 hp, along with 410 lb-ft. That power is directed through an 8-speed auto, on to a part-time 4WD transfer case that offers an impressive crawl ratio of 48.7:1, then on to a solid rear axle fitted with an LSD and 3.92 gearing and the IFS equipped front differential. Holding everything up is Ram’s adjustable air suspension allowing for an additional inch of lift over the added inch the Rebel gets over the regular Ram 1500. No racing spec shocks to be found, but there is the familiar yellow tubes emblazed with the Bilstein logo, and most important, a set of 33-in Toyo Open Country A/T’s putting the power to the ground.
The interior design team over at FCA have thrown together an absolutely beautiful example of an interior. Red trim and “Rebel” badging is found throughout the cab, but likely the coolest feature is the seats. Each seat is embossed with the actual tread pattern of the Toyo Open Country A/T’s that adorn the Rebel’s wheels.
The design carries over onto the exterior, a properly rugged design that portrays a sense of authority with a bold new grille, nostrils in the hood and smoked out LED headlights. That authority also shows itself with very large bold and brash matte black badging smothered all over the Rebel, something we’re used to with Ram. However, while the badging may be larger, the overall design is somewhat more conservative than the Raptor.
The Ram does not want to have a bark bigger than its bite, so you don’t get the obnoxious fender flares, vented gills and LED marker lights lathered all over the body for the sake of garnering attention. Ram has done a wonderful job of giving the Rebel a look of its own, one that is aggressive and subtly pulls the attention of those in the know, rather than being the loudmouth in the room that shouts at everyone.
You know someone is serious about building a true off-roader when they pay educated attention to the wheel and tire package. Ram have taken their smallest 17-in cast-aluminum wheels and mounted their largest tires, the aforementioned 33-in Toyo Open Country A/T‘s. In the field, this was an excellent matchup. My time behind the wheel may have been short, and the wheeling mostly small bits of non-tarmac terrain amongst the urban landscape, however the Rebel climbed anything I could throw in front of it. Despite what could be described as handicapped clearance angles when considering the Rebels big brother, the Power Wagon, it dominated some pretty impressive obstacles with very little tire slip.
The Bilstein suspension does not match up to the FOX external reservoir units found on both the Raptor and the Tundra TRD Pro-Series. However, while the Raptor is designed to scream across deserts, the Rebel is a much more common sense off-roader, with the perfect blend of hard-core abilities and daily driver comfort.
Lifting and lowering air suspension is quite likely the greatest invention for out-of-the-box 4WD’s, but still has yet to be perfected. In the Rebel, I noticed that the rebound knocking found in the Grand Cherokee had vanished when raised to the highest level. This along with the ability to lower on the highway for aerodynamics is a fantastic feature to have, but you still give up the confident feel of a regular coil spring. All things considered in the Rebel, it's a sacrifice we’re quite willing to make for the added versatility.
While I loved my time in the Rebel, there were a couple of things that I did not like. For one, the Rebel sits very high on the trim level list. Not only does this mean it’s an expensive bit of kit to get into, starting at $46,895, but it also means you have all the bells and whistles you may not particularly want in a vehicle designed for the bush. However, the most frustrating is the inability to outfit the Rebel with Rams EcoDiesel engine. This is a crying shame as the diesel lends itself well to off-roading and is just simply a gem of an engine.
Regardless, the Rebel is a fantastic out-of-the-box off-road focused special edition. It’s real-world all-terrain capabilities matched with daily driver conveniences puts it very high on our favourite truck list, and is well worth looking at for those who want to put some minimal off-road modifications into a new truck.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- MSRP: $46,895
- Engine: 5.7L V-8
- Power: 395 hp, 410 lb-ft
- Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic
- Curb Weight: 2,450 kg (5,401lb)
- Wheelbase: 3,569 mm (140.5-in)
- Ground Clearance: 262 mm (10.3-in)
- Approach Angle: 25.3°
- Departure Angle: 23.0°
- Ramp Breakover Angle: 19.6°
- Wading Depth: 762 mm (30-in)
- Tow Capacity: 3,248 kg (7,160-lb)
- Fuel Efficiency (L/100km): 10.1L Highway, 14.6L City